Gov. Parson holds cabinet meeting, says ‘Greitens brought in a good team’

Monday marks Governor Mike Parson’s first full official day as the head of Missouri.

Parson held a cabinet meeting Monday at 10:30 a.m.

Parson said he is considering a special session to make sure Missouri has a Lieutenant Governor.

“I don’t like the state of Missouri being without a Lieutenant Governor, and for me I aim to use that position to help with this transition, if there’s ever a time those two offices needed to be working together, it’s now,” Parson said. “Hopefully we’ll check out the legalities of it and figure out what it is but that will be a priority to figure out what we’re going to do with the Lieutenant Governor’s position on that.”

When Parson addressed the media prior to his cabinet meeting, he stood at the front of his office, with his cabinet members sitting behind him.

“Governor Greitens brought in a good team to the state of Missouri,” Parson said.

The cabinet meeting lasted about 20 minutes, where Parson said he will be setting up individual meetings with the members at a later date.

“I don’t anticipate any changes in the cabinet that I’m aware of. All I want to do is be a resource for them, I want to work with the cabinet because there’s a lot of good things that’s going on in the state of Missouri and we need to continue the things that are good and we’re doing that,” Parson said.

Parson also said the Governor’s office is going to function a bit differently than it did when Greitens was in office.

Before Parson’s meeting with his cabinet, he said he wants to “move Missouri forward.”

“At the end of the day for me, it’s about trying to bring people together, trying to build relationships, and try to move forward for the state of Missouri, because my dedication is going to be to the people of Missouri, no one else,” Parson said. “That’s who my dedication will be.”

As cabinet members were leaving, ABC 17 News talked with the directors of Missouri Department of Agriculture and Corrections.

Both directors, Chris Chinn and Anne Precythe said they will be keeping their respective positions on the governor’s cabinet.

Chinn said she met with Missouri farmer’s who are looking forward to Parson serving as governor because he is “one of them.”

“I look forward to working with Governor Parson and we’re going to move forward,” Precythe said.

“The new governor just asked us all to make sure we keep him informed, make sure we carry on the mission that we’ve been doing as a cabinet already,” Chinn said.